The present invention relates to air conditioning systems and more particularly, to an air conditioning system that includes a dual mix manifold system architecture for distributing air to multiple portions of a vehicle.
At least some known vehicles, such as aircraft, supply a relatively constant flow of fresh air into the pressurized body of commercial aircraft for ventilating the passenger cabin, the cockpit, and other pressurized regions within the aircraft. In order to economically maintain the cabin at a relatively constant and comfortable temperature, a suitable pressure, and at a constant humidity level during operation, recirculation air from the cabin area of the aircraft is typically mixed with fresh air, also known as pack air or conditioned air, in a mix manifold located in a mix bay of the aircraft.
Traditionally, known aircraft each include a mix bay that houses a mix manifold having a relatively large diameter that generally determines the space requirement of the mix bay. Derivative models of the aircraft may be longer in length and may therefore include larger passenger cabin areas or larger cargo compartments that require a greater volume of pressurized air to maintain comfort levels of the passengers and crew. As such, the size of the mix manifold in such aircraft must be increased to accommodate the additional air volume. However, increasing the size of the mix manifold also requires a corresponding increase in the size of the mix bay. However, increasing the mix bay may significantly decrease the available volume of the cargo area. Decreasing the cargo area volume allows less passengers and goods to be transported and thus decreases the revenue generated. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a derivative aircraft air conditioning system that channels a larger volume of air than known base model aircraft systems and that is usable with the size constraints of the existing base model aircraft mix bay.